Sectional ladder.



H. M. AGKLEY.

SEGTIONAL LADDER. APPLICATION FILED DEO.5,1904.

. Patented Nov. 24,1908.

Z 2. a o o k wpm E J 1% .w J? .v 4 M w a L H i'l'lllil wit 6,5391%4ZMZJM GW- HERBERT M. AOKLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SECTIONAL LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed December 5, 1904. Serial No. 235,559.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT M. AoxLnY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional Ladders; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theartto which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a novel construction in an extensible sectionalladder adapted for the ordinary uses to which ladders are applied, andwhich are particularly adapted for use in building temporary scaffoldingfor all purposes, the object being to provide a strong, durable andrelatively light ladder which can be extended to any desired length andwill safely support heavy weights, and consists in the features ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention: Figure l is aview partly in elevation and partly in section of a lad der constructedin accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view in elevationshowing a slightly modified form of construction. Fig. t is aperspective view showing the manner of building scaffolding with my saidladders.

Extensible sectional ladders require great strength and, furthermore,must be so made as to be easily coupled and uncoupled, but at the sametime, when coupled, must be held rigidly in alinement so as to renderthem substantially as stiff as a single ladder to prevent swaying as faras possible. To these and other ends, my said ladder comprises the sidebars each of which consists preferably of two pieces or bars A and B,

preferably of wood, bolted or otherwise se cured together, in which therungs C and D are secured, the said rungs G passing through openings inthe bars A and at their extreme ends entering recesses in the innerfaces of the bars B. The said rungs are preferably made of gas-pipe orother tubing and through some of the same bolts E are adapted to passwhich engage the outer faces of the bars B and serve to hold the latterand said bars A against spreading in an obvious manner. The said bars Aof the lowermost section of the ladder are of greater length than thebars B and project above the uppermost ends of the latter, and throughsaid extended ends indicated by F the said rung D passes, the free endsof the latter projecting beyond the outer faces of said extensions F andsaid rung being disposed a short. distance above the upper ends of thebars B. In their upper ends, said extensions F are provided withrecesses G of a width equal to the diameter of said rungs C and D.

In the sections which are mounted upon the said lowermost section thesaid bars A and B are of the same length but are relatively ofiset orstaggered so as to form the extensions F at one end and similarextensions H of the bars B at the other ends of said ladder sections,the said extensions H being provided in their ends with recesses J ofgreater depth than said recesses G in said extensions F and equal inwidth to the diameter of the rungs, the depth of said recesses J beingslightly greater than the distance between the upper ends of said bars Band the farthest removed points in the periphery of the projecting endsof the rung D. The depth of the recess G is likewise greater than thedistance between the lower ends of the bars A and the farthest removedpoint in the periphery of the lowermost rung C, so that when said rungsC and D are received in said recesses G and J respectively, the saidbars A and B of an up- 9 per section will rest directly on the ends ofthe bars A and B of the next lower section and such bars will be held inproper relative positions by the said rungs C and D.

It will also be noted that in mounting one section upon the other therecesses J will engage with the projecting ends of the rungs D beforesaid recesses G engage the rung C of the upper section, thus enablingsaid upper section to be more easily mounted as will 1 be obvious.

Instead of the recesses in the ends of the extensions F and H whichengage the rungs to interlock adjacent sections with each other, it willbe obvious that pockets may 1 be provided as at M in Fig. 3, in whichthe ends of the extensions H are received, and where said pockets areemployed the proj ecting ends of the rungs D are omitted.

I prefer to make the side bars of two 1 pieces rather than a singlepiece of double thickness for the reason that two pieces are relativelystronger than one and more convenient in the manufacture of said laddersas will be obvious.

To form a scaffold, the ladders are St t up parallel with each other andare connected by means of cross-braces K and L in a well known manner.

As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the bars B of the lowermost sectionmay be bent to increase the width of such section at its base forobvious reasons.

I claim as my invention:

1. In sectional scaffolding, sectional ladders each having doubleside-bars, the two members of each side bar being staggered withrelation to each other to provide single projections at each end of theladder, the ends of the members of each side bar constituting endsupporting surfaces disposed at different elevations adapted to supportthe ends of the corresponding members of the side bars of the nextadjacent section, the end rungs of said ladders passing through theprojecting portions of said side bar members and being adapted to engagethe end portions of the projecting portions of the side bar members ofthe adjacent sections to maintain the same in relative alinement.

2. In sectional scaffolding, sectional ladders each having doubleside-bars, the two members of each side bar being staggered withrelation to each other to provide single projections at each end of theladder, the ends of the members of each side bar const-ituting endsupporting surfaces disposed at different elevations adapted to supportthe ends of the corresponding members of the side bars of the nextadjacent section, the end rungs of said ladders passing through theprojecting portions of said side bar members and the free ends of saidpro jecting portions of said side bar members being provided withlongitudinal recesses adapted to receive and engage said end rungs ofadjacent sections to maintain the same in relative alinement.

8, A sectional ladder comprising a plurality of units each having doubleside bars relatively offset to form extensions at both ends of saidunit, said extensions being provided at their ends with recesses adaptedto engage rungs of the next adjacent units, one rung of each unitextending through the free ends of one pair of said side bars and providing projections to enter the recesses of the other pair of said sidebars of the next adjacent section,

4. A sectional ladder consisting of a plurality of separable laddersections each comprising two pairs of side bars secured to gether andrelatively offset toform double side bars and projections of singlethickness at each end of same, said projections being provided in theirends with recesses, said recesses in one pair of said projections beingdeeper than the recesses in the other pair thereof, a rung passingthrough one pair of said projections adjacent the ends of. the otherpair of said side bars and adapted to engage the recesses in the freeends of the corresponding pair of side bars of the next adjacent laddersection at their outer ends, a rung secured in the projecting endportions of the other pair of side bars of said section at the other endof the latter and adjacent the ends of the first-named pair of saidbars, the distance between the said inner ends of said pairs of bars andsaid adjacent rungs being less than the respective depths of therecesses receiving said rungs.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of twosubscribing wit nesses.

HERBERT M. ACKLEY. lVitnesses RUDOLPH WM. Lorz, F. SoHLoTrEL

